IPC 155 → BNS 193(2): Benefit of Riot

IPC 155 (now BNS 193(2)): Liability of a Person for Whose Benefit a Riot is Committed

IPC Section 155 fixes liability on a person for whose benefit, or on whose behalf, a riot is committed, where that person (or his agent or manager) had reason to believe a riot was likely and failed to use lawful means to prevent it. From 1 July 2024 it continues as Section 193(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

What the section does (same under BNS 193(2) as IPC 155)

It is a special liability provision: the beneficiary of a riot does not escape merely because he did not personally join the unlawful assembly. There is no major change between IPC 155 and BNS 193(2) — only the section number moved. New FIRs cite BNS 193(2).

Worked example

A landlord, expecting a riot to be staged over a disputed plot from which he stands to gain, learns of the plan but does nothing to stop it through lawful means. Because the disturbance is for his benefit and he failed to prevent it, BNS 193(2) fastens liability on him.

Practical notes

• For advocates: BNS 193(2) sits in a cluster of riot-liability sections. Compare owner or occupier liability (IPC 154 to BNS 193(1)) and agent or manager liability (IPC 156 to BNS 193(3)) — the three together cover the beneficiary, the landholder and the manager.
• The defence usually centres on absence of benefit, absence of reason to believe, or proof that lawful preventive steps were in fact taken.